Here are all the restaurant and bar openings we featured in our November 2019 magazine issue.

Restaurants

Azabu Dining

Image by Cristina Ng/That's

For a while, Shanghai was all about contemporary izakaya-style venues like Jeju Izakaya and Oha Eatery. We were patiently waiting for the next hot one to appear, when Azabu Dining snuck in below the radar. They opened at the end of last year on Nanchang Lu, across from Turkish institution Pasha. Combining Japanese ingredients with French and American influence, Azabu turns out several intriguing small bites and traditional Japanese standards in a serene setting.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB400-900 per person
Who’s going: mostly local and overseas Chinese
Good for: romantic dinners, small groups, private dining

Read the full review here. See listing for Azabu Dining.

La Maruja

Image by Sophie Steiner/That's

La Maruja, like taitai in Chinese, has a connotation far beyond ‘housewife.’ She is a powerful, influential, glamorous badass that can move mountains with the snap of a perfectly manicured fingernail. Women want to be her, and men want to be with her, making her the perfect entertainer and host. Helmed by Pol Garcia (formerly of El Patio), this restaurant embodies that sentiment. Imported products are the hero of this sexy Spanish hot spot that pays homage to gastronomic market concepts like Mercado San Miguel in Madrid and Mercado La Boqueria in Barcelona.

Total Verdict: 4/5

Price: RMB200-400 per person
Who’s going: Spaniards, curious locals and other tapas lovers
Good for: Spanish food cravings, casual cocktails, patio catch-up sessions

Read the full review here. See listing for La Maruja.

Golden Lily

|Image by Cristina Ng/That's

Golden Lily resides in a sprawling property on Jianguo Xi Lu replete with a retro British bar, mock frescos and gorgeous terrace that you might remember as the Notting House. The food is French-Vietnamese fusion. Considering the French influence already present in Vietnamese cooking, that seems like an easy menu to execute. In addition to a China Eastern pilot, the other partners have ties to Pho Joy and Roof325. Keeping things interesting, their chef hails from Yunnan.

Golden Lily serves a fairly affordable mix of French and Vietnamese dishes with things like Thai tom yum kung soup, beef carpaccio or burrata cheese salad thrown in for good measure. Pan-Asian meets European is a much more accurate description.

Total Verdict: 3/5

Price: RMB80-250 per person
Who’s going: lots of Chinese diners, neighborhood folks
Good for: lunch sets, quiet dinners

Read the full review here. See listing for Golden Lily.

Bars

Perch

Image by Cristina Ng/That's 

After another blazing hot and humid Shanghai summer, we were especially eager to welcome the transition to fall. The problem is that the typically small window of comfortable weather has shrunk even further, with lows hitting below 15-degrees as early as mid-October.

Enter Perch, a small-sized bar with a humongous wraparound terrace (seriously, follow it around the building, you will be surprised how much room there is). On our first visit, we sunk into the cushioned al fresco seats and thought to ourselves, “Here’s the bar we’ve looking for all summer.”

If the bird-themed name didn’t tip you off, Perch has loose ties to The Rooster down the street. While that means some of the key guys are involved, they are going for a different experience. There will be no sports on TV or noisy parties, but there will be after work wind downs and casual catch-ups.

Read the full review here. See listing for Perch.

Leave Your Review

Have you been to any of these venues? Post your reviews on their listings for a chance to win a Saucepan voucher.

Read more Shanghai Restaurant Reviews & Shanghai Bar Reviews

[Cover image by Cristina Ng/That's]